Gehry House

Frank Owen Gehry – Casa Gehry-Gehry House in Santa Monica California, USA, 1977

The Gehry Residence is the home of architect Frank Gehry. It was originally an extension, designed by Gehry and built around an existing Dutch Colonial-style house. It uses unconventional materials, such as chain link fences and corrugated steel. It is sometimes considered one of the first deconstructivist buildings, although Gehry denies this.

The Gehry House is located in Santa Monica, California. In 1977, Frank and Berta Gehry purchased a pink bungalow that was originally built in 1920. Gehry wanted to explore with the materials he was already using: metal, plywood, chain link fence, and wood framing. In 1978, he chose to wrap the outside of the house with a new exterior, while still leaving the old exterior visible. He barely touched the rear and south facades and toward the other sides of the house he wedged in tilted glass cubes. Then, in the fall of 1991, he chose to remodel due to the needs of a growing family that included two teenagers.
Many of Gehry's neighbors were not happy about the unusual building being built in their neighborhood.

As of 2016, the house is still owned by Frank Gehry. Although he is nearly finished building another residence overlooking Rustic Canyon, he plans to keep the Santa Monica home in the family.